18. Chapter 18 #2
“The castle doors must’ve shifted again,” Regent determines, gritting his teeth together.
“But not to worry. One of the gods will come to collect us once we’re done with our little outing at the market!
I’m quite sure of it. Now, follow me. This way, ladies!
” he calls from over his shoulder as he strolls away.
We dart after him, the sound of rushing water roaring in our ears, which seems to be originating from somewhere around the corner.
The adjacent street is not made of cobblestone, but of canals.
Gondolas in shades of canary yellows and precocious pinks fill the undulating rivers like peacocks in a bath, shuttling people down the winding waterways of the city, many of whom are dressed in pristine suits and homespun gowns.
I pause against the railing to soak it all in, suddenly deluged by a wave of raw emotion.
Holy shit. I’m free. I can become one with the river that flows parallel to me.
I can turn into a mermaid of the sea. I can finally learn how to become a pirate and master the art of the sea shanty.
The possibilities are limitless, and yet they still feel so far out of my reach.
“Don’t forget, Little Bird, the queen will hunt you down and find you across the universe…” I can practically hear Augustine’s voice echoing in my head, dampening my excitement.
“Come on, Shay,” Bella says. She grabs me by the wrist and tugs me after the others.
I hadn’t even realized that I’d fallen so far behind.
Probably because I’d been too busy staring at the blushing skyline painted in seagulls, and the little line of cottages poised on the cliffside, each one as bright and cheerful as a sugar plum gumdrop.
This place is exactly as I’d envisioned.
Regent slows to a halt near a bridge carved out of iridescent stone, which crosses over the nearest canal like a floating beam, keeping the city’s splinter-thin footpaths connected together by an astral string.
On it, crowds of people are rushing to and fro, some of them stopping to peer over the ledge, as if trying to get a better look at the black dot that appears along the horizon.
“A raven!” a woman shouts. She immediately falls to her knees and begins begging for the faraway bird to give her its blessing, which instigates a crowd.
As the black bird swoops past, a grizzly-looking man nearly throws himself over the ledge in an attempt to catch it.
A third straggler rattles around his birdcage like a blundering maniac, its metal bars clattering and clanging with every shake.
“Oye, get back here!” he calls to it.
“What are they doing?” I ask, squinting at them.
“They’re searching for the raven,” Regent explains.
“Ever since the queen offered a monetary reward to whomever delivers her the bird, some have gone utterly mad in their quest to find it. Just the other day, there were forty-seven ravens all brought to her throne room, all of them locked in cages.” His brows raise slowly at the memory.
A few people walk past, glancing quickly in our direction.
Regent lowers his voice so they don’t overhear him.
“The queen sent them all away. Ordered that they be freed in the courtyard. The birds were delighted. The people who traveled days on horseback to deliver them to her? Not so much.”
“What kind of raven is she looking for?” I ask, my throat drying up.
Regent leans against the railing and peers down at a ship sailing past. “Your guess is as good as mine. She’ll have laid her eyes upon every bird from here to the Leviathan Sea by the time this curse is over with, and she still won’t be satisfied, I imagine.
” His eyes widen, as if he’s suddenly realized he’s spoken ill of her.
Not that I can blame him. I’d also speak ill of anyone who chopped off my fingers, warranted or not.
“Can we get moving?” Lily asks, standing on her tiptoes to get a better view of what’s happening further down the bridge. “I’m starving, and my clothes are all damp. I’d like a change of clothing and a snack, pronto.”
“Once that crowd clears out of the way, then we can pass,” Regent says, motioning to the swath of people who have now congregated around the bird and its friends.
I count six ravens in total, all of them swooping over the bridge and squawking, almost as if they’re toying with the onlookers on purpose.
“Suit yourself.” Lily shrugs, stepping away from the ledge and then skipping off down the bridge without a care in the world, leaving the rest of us reeling behind her.
I watch as she dips between two men, then scoots around a woman.
A few people elbow her, which slows her down as she stops to curse at them.
At one point, she climbs over a birdcage and leaps over a man’s shoulders to get past. But she seems to be making headway. More headway than we are, at any rate.
“Shadow, are you alright?” Bella asks.
I acknowledge her with a quick nod, even though my insides are contorting.
“Yeah, just afraid of heights,” I say. Bella gives me a quick smile, looking mildly satisfied with that answer, even though it couldn’t be further from the truth.
The truth is I would give anything to be flying alongside those ravens right now, who have since taken off toward the cottages on the cliff, putting distance between themselves and the people on the bridge. The crowd disperses.
“I suppose we should go find Lily,” Maxine sighs, looping her arms through Bella’s and mine, as she proceeds to tug us through a break in the crowd.
“Unless of course, the real raven is coming next. I thought I heard about that prophecy in passing. Isn’t it about some glorified crow who comes to peck out everyone’s eyeballs or something? ”
“Watch your tongue unless you’d like for it to be stolen,” Regent says from behind us.
Maxine’s mouth falls open. “Excuse me?”
“This passageway into Riverhall is a seedy one,” Regent says as we catch up to Lily, who has since halted her pursuit of the market to argue with someone about stepping on her boot.
The aggressor in question whips out a knife, and Lily’s eyes widen.
“The people here will not take kindly to you mocking their precious bird,” Regent quickly adds, rushing up to the man and stuffing a vial of bloodmagic in his hand to get him to leave.
It works. But he doesn’t look pleased about it.
“Did you see that?” Lily gasps as the man disappears into the crowd. “He tried to kill me!”
“As I said,” Regent states matter-of-factly, his gaze bounding between the four of us, “stick together and watch your step. No more rushing off on your own. That’s an order, Miss Leibe.” He crosses his arms and gives Lily an admonishing look. Her cheeks flush pink.
“If this particular passage is so dangerous, then where are all the guards?” Maxine asks, her expression twisting as we pass by a grimy-looking man who seems to be sharpening his sword with a pitchfork.
Regent opens his mouth to respond, only to become seemingly distracted by a vendor selling roasted nuts on a platter, which looks like it was carved out of petrified bones.
I wonder whose bones those once belonged to.
They look freshly dug up and rinsed off with river water. But more importantly, they look… human.
“I’ve heard the guards have been reducing in number as of late,” Bella grumbles under her breath. “Care to explain what’s going on, Regent?”
Regent dodges a pitman on his way home from the mines, then scoots around a gaggle of women garbed in scarlet gowns with puffy sleeves and crinoline skirts—some of whom stop to gossip at our expense.
He steps over a troubadour strewn out on a curb, who is strumming an out-of-tune ukulele, and, upon closer inspection, keeps tripping passersby who don’t leave him a tip.
“Regent?” I press, my tone clipped.
“Sorry ladies, no time to dilly dally!” Regent waves his hands around theatrically, only to pause and stare at his missing fingers. “We must get to the Golden Bazaar before the gates shut. Hurry along now, this way.” He motions for us to follow him, then stuffs his hands back into his pocket.
All around us, trinkets jingle in pockets, and the smell of tobacco fills the air.
Exotic perfumes waft up my nostrils as I pass by a man with metallic teeth who grins at me like he’s just gobbled up a star.
A tussle breaks out ahead as a bony-looking man grabs the neck of his opponent, sending the crowd scattering in various directions.
“It’s not just any raven, you fool,” he spits in his opponent’s face, shaking the poor man down like he’s an eggshell that he’s trying to crack open.
“The prophecy claims that a raven shall arrive in the jaws of wolves, which means that we need to find a pack of hounds and inspect their mouths.”
“Shut up, Joe.” A thick woman shoves Joe off his smaller opponent by inserting her powerful body between the two men. “The prophecy claims that the raven is destined to arrive on the backs of wolves. It says nothing about their mouths.” She flicks him on the forehead before adding, “You nitwit.”
A raven is destined to arrive on the backs of wolves?
I bite down on my cheek so hard that I’m besieged with pain.
“Exactly! That’s what I said.” Joe lifts his grubby finger in thought. “We’re lookin’ for wolves, not birds. Which means that we oughta travel to the forest and lure ‘em with that mating call of yours. How did it go again?” He tries to whistle, but only manages to blow a raspberry instead.
“Look what we’ve got here, boys!” a third straggler shouts, who looks meaner than the rest of them combined.
He sets down his birdcage and points in our direction.
“Fresh meat,” he growls with malicious eyes.
The others all stop to stare at our expense as Lily skids to a halt near Regent and balls up her fists.